A Limestone Stela of the Vizier Prahotep, 19th Dynasty, Reign of Ramesses II, 1279-1213 B.C.

carved in sunk relief in four panels arranged in two registers, the upper panel at right showing the retainer of Prahotep, Werhay, raising his hands in adoration before Osiris, a table of offerings between them, the panel at left showing the servant Merty-ramessu, standing in the same attitude before Osiris, the two panels in the lower register showing four servants also with their hands raised in adoration, from right to left identified as Prahesy, Nebi-hetepni, Paptahhesy, and Weserherptah, columns of inscription above each scene, a single column of inscription in the center of the stela.

J.F. Russell, California, acquired between 1930 and 1960
Arizona private collection, by descent
acquired by the present owner in New York in 1998

 

Allard Pierson Museum, Archeological Museum of the University of Amsterdam, November 17th, 2006 – March 25th, 2007

Objects for Eternity, Egyptian Antiquities from the W. Arnold Meijer Collection, Carol A.R. Andrews and Jacobus van Dijk, eds., Mainz, 2006, pp. 150-152, no. 2.42, illus.

Good, repaired from three fragments, joins visible in photograph, surface sligthly worn, note old chips to edge in upper left quadrant, area of abrasion at feet of Osiris to right was probably filled in before application of gesso and pigment
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The author writes (Objects for Eternity, p.150): "This interesting stela depicts six men who are shown worshipping the god Osiris. It is a votive stela dedicated to the vizier Prahotep who lived during the long reign of Ramesses II. The vizier, or chief minister, was the highest state official in Ancient Egypt, subordinate only to the King himself. During the New Kingdom there were two viziers, one for Upper and one for Lower Egypt. (...)

The monument is divided down the middle by a single column of text reading:

An offering which the king gives (to) Osiris, Lord of Eternity, in order that he (i.e. Osiris) may grant the pleasant breeze of the north wind to the Osiris, the governor of the city and vizier Prahotep, justified.

This text is a version of the standard offering formula. The god who is invoked in it is depicted twice in the upper register of the stela. He is shown in his usual form of a mummy standing on a so-called ma'at-shaped pedestal with a sloping front edge. On his head he wears the atef-crown, a tall conical headdress resembling the white crown of Upper Egypt flanked by two feathers, and his hands hold the crook and flail, the symbols of his kingship. Above the god's head is his name, 'Osiris, Lord of Eternity'.

Before each of the two representations of the god stands a man with both hands raised in adoration. Between the god and his worshipper is a simple offering-stand with two loaves of bread and a lotus flower. The man on the right is dressed in a costume typical of the Egyptian military of the New Kingdom, with a tapering front piece attached at the waist and a skirt which is longer at the back than at the front. The man wears the pointed wig fashionable at the time. The text inscribed above him reads: 'Adoration to Osiris, Lord of the Two Lands, by the retainer of the governor of the city and vizier Rahotep, justified, Werhay'. This man is obviously the main dedicator of the stela; not only is he the only one with a full adoration text inscribed above him, but as the vizier's 'retainer' or personal attendant he is also clearly senior in rank to the other persons depicted.

The man on the left is dressed in a simple sleeveless shirt and a skirt which ends just below the knees. Unlike the man on the right, he is not wearing a wig but is shaven-headed. The text inscribed above him reads: '(Adoration of Osiris) by the servant Merty-Ramessu, justified, possessor of reverence'. Although a simple 'servant', he was important enough to have himself depicted in the top register of the stela alongside his superior Werhay. The name Merty-Ramessu means 'Beloved (of the gods) is Ramesses (II)', a type of name usually found with people working in court circles.

Four further men join in the adoration of Osiris in the lower register of the stela. They are all dressed in the same simple costume as Merty-Ramessu and like him they are 'servants'. On the right stand 'the servant Prahesy' and 'the servant Nebi-hetepni', on the left 'the servant Paptahhesy, justified' and 'the servant Weserherptah'. With one possible exception none of these persons is known from other sources and some of the names have rather unusual forms. The epithets 'justified' and 'possessor of reverence' added to the name in some cases theoretically imply that the person in question is deceased, but this need not be the case here. By setting up this votive stela in the tomb of the vizier his servants hoped to participate in the latter's funerary cult and benefit from it once they had died themselves."